Jet Lag

Why is it called that ? I do know the answer, but surely it should be known as Bed Lag as that is where it manifests. After the last episodes of Ozark which were exciting, we head to bed around midnight. Both at the same time. I thought it would reduce the chance of one waking the other. Well, forget that theory. 

The radio goes on and we listen to a biopic of the Queen and her diplomatic skills. The radio can be soporific. Not this time. It was followed by a long programme of why Liverpool fans did not gain fair entry into the game with Real Madrid. My diplomatic skills desert me entirely and I demanded it is turned off. That is foolish too. A silence ensues which was deafening between us. We lie there, eyes closed, minds whirring, sheets shuffling, barely breathing, following every gulp, clearing of throat, sigh, deep ones at that. Our stomachs gurgle, one of us breaks wind, we dare not swallow again. My mind writes reams of passages which I will promptly forget, I go over the week twice, menus once, remember all the things I had forgotten during the day. Meditation? - forgetaboutit. 

I adopt the form and skills of an Egyptian mummy, complete with crossed arms and lie motionless. The pitter patter of purposeful possums reminds us that in our misery we are not alone. Several scenarios play out - a frenetic chase over the tin roof, a desire for a sexual encounter as a male sits literally outside our window uttering deep gutteral "come hither" to a female who I suspect is looking for a wire to escape onto. And another noisily eating something very crunchy, the crunch amplified massively in our sorry state. In desperation I think the radio might be the answer again. A sports programme is on and I hear all about Flo -Jo. Did you know she died young ? At that point the bush stone curlews emit ear piercing cries and I am ready to fling myself off the roof with the possums. The night interminable, but then, then, we are woken by an early call and I realise I must have slept for at least an hour as I missed the kookaburras dawn chorus. It doesn't matter because I am rewarded with a visit from Dennis and Doreen. Bleary eyed I am so happy to see them.  I chat to them and tell me that I know tonight will be better. 

The ABC of our trip

 A is for Avocet Birds and Arsenal 

B is for Banksy and finding out about his incredible life and works

C is Country lanes - the intense green of the English Countryside.

D is for Ducks 

E is for Eckstetd resto and Elizabeth Line the new tube line

F is for flowers in the Cyprus and London

G is for my George and seeing him again after 2 and a half years.

H is for Hampstead, our haven in the UK 

I is for Island - the problematic but irresistible Cyprus  

J is for Jolly Jane and all that she stands for 

K is for Kale - ubiquitous in food offerings

L is for the vibrancy of London town, Ant's new home. 

M is for the Marching bands practising for the Queen's Platinum Celebrations

N is for Norfolk and Norwich 

O is for Oysters 

P is for Partygate and the fallout for Boris - and of course Pomos 

Q is for Queen, frail but strong in spirit 

R is for River - the Thames cleaned up and Ubered.

S is for shells on beaches 

T is for Tea as only the English can do 

U is for Urban life and Unflagging friendships

V is for Victoria - her wonderfully full reign and family life

W is for Wordle  

X is for the extravagance of London life 

Y is Yearning - each to their own

Z is for Zones -manoeuvring the insides of a megalopolis 

Its been a great trip  and it is wonderful to be back in the lucky country. Our garrulous taxi driver from the airport could not understand how Sco - Mo had lost - he thought he had done a really good job!! We had such a lively and lovely Aussie political argie bargie. I urged him to have faith in the new government. The sun shone for our first day back and friends and neighbours came to celebrate an intimate Birthday for C. My calendar is full of concerts, exhibitions and events which I am looking forward to. Lying awake in the early hours of the morning is a small price to pay as it means the days are more productive. The laughs of the kookaburras lead my thoughts as the dawn chorus starts another day. Will I see Dennis and Doreen alighting on the deck ? 

A day in London town

A tub full of roses to start the day - fragrant and colourful. 

A stroll through St James Park and along the Mall. The city full of Union Jacks ready to celebrate Queen Lizzie on the first weekend in June. Much pomp and ceremony and a lot of rehearsing going on. The mounted band was possibly the most impressive with those poor men having to control unruly but beautiful horses with one hand, stay in line while blowing a great trumpet with another and making sure they did not fall off!  We stood by and took it all in and next to us an Aussie couple from Ballarat with whom we enjoyed a lovely Aussie conversation. 

A statue entitled Mother and Child by Rebecca Hawkins commemorating victims of sexual violence in conflicts around the world and their children. 

Wet Fish in the evening serving up delicious scallops - A lovely end to a very active day. 

The Art of Banksy

In Covent Garden today visiting The Art of Bansky, a well curated exhibition about Banksy's life and works. I am not a fan of graffiti, I suspect not many people are, but his personality and quick mind are so engaging. They have done a great job of quoting him and his collaborators as well as displaying the art work that has marked his development over the years. This is his art from private collections which the owners chose to share with the public. There is nothing which is off limits for Banksy and seeing this art work over the years shows his commitment to being unconventional and radical at every juncture. 

He was born in Bristol in 1990 A young and irreverent soul. And as he very cleverly put it " Nobody listened to me until they didn't know who I was." He started doing posters for Greenpeace and was involved in Sleaze Nation and then in 2003 - 2005 he infiltrated well established galleries with some of his art. "Peckham Rock" was placed in the British Museum and it was 3 days before anyone realised. 

He collaborated with other artists over festivals and shows and would sign a copy of a print as a thank you note. In 2009 he had an exhibition in which he displayed a devolved Parliament replacing politicians with chimps. He produced a ten pound note with Princess Di on it. 

In 2017 he made the headlines again with the Walled Off city in Palestine.  He wanted to be able to produce art cheaply and so he started a company called POW - Pictures on Walls - Prints produced by them were sold for 35 pounds - now valued at 35,000. This is one of his better known ones.

While they were in Australia they snuck into Melbourne Zoo with posters and threw them into the chimp enclosure. So chimps were holding up posters saying things like "I am a celeb get me out of here"...

He is intriguing, unpredictable and disruptive. I really enjoyed discovering his many twists and turns and reading about his life and seeing how he had used his talent to make us all question how we see life. 

Norwich

Norwich claims to be the most complete medieval city in the United Kingdom.We visited its beautiful cathedral and walked in the grounds. We also sought out Elm Hill with its medieval buildings and walked along the Wensum river. In 2012 it was designated Englands first Unesco City of Literature. 

 

A Bear Shop along Elm Hill with its medieval Buildings 

The river walk. 

Norfolk

The last time I was in this area was when I was a student, so it was a pleasure to go back over the weekend and discover the beauty of Norfolk all over again. A county which boasts lengthy coastlines and beaches, twitcher- full wetlands, quaint lanes and flint built houses. Flint is the ubiquitous building stone in Norfolk and it is found everywhere. They come in every size with black or grey interior silica. The houses are all made from this durable material which literally is as abundant as the beaches which grace it. It also boasts the highest concentration of medieval churches, many stately homes, among which is the Queen's Sandringham estate and apparently has no motorways. Leafy and bursting with spring flowers. 

The pebbly beach on a sunny May day. 

The flint buildings and the fences out of reeds 

With some good friends to show us around, we went on walks in the wetlands to spot the quite rare avocets, walked in fields of bluebells, admired the variety of trees and the blue ceanothus and ate Cromer Crab, smoked fish and freshly picked Norfolk asparagus. We saw many pheasants which lined the small country roads.

Some of them I suspect may end up on the Queens Dinner Table. 

Hampstead Heath and surrounds

A splendid Ceanothus. 

Once a North Londoner always a North Londoner and for hubby that certainly is true. The joy of being back in the area he grew up in and went to school is evident. He has been the life and soul of family gatherings and social events - stories tumble out of him at the rate of knots and he is clearly relishing his release from the lucky continent. He felt trapped, I, on the other hand, gaily carried on. So he has gone to the football with the boys, we have had beautiful walks and admired the big trees, the bluebells in the fields, the flowering wisteria and the plaques on the walls. It is awash with history and quaint. Hampstead Heath is full of dogs. I have never seen so many. If there is a prediction I take pleasure in making is that the Dogs will be the rulers of the UK before long and they will organise treats for all. 

George Du Maurier, famous Cartoonist, grandfather to Daphne, illustrator of the first detective novel and the one who gave the Trilby hat its name. 

Climbing roses filling the air with a delicate scent. 

S

And oh to be this woman in her bath dreaming away in her suds of green. 

Mother's Day 2022

 

To celebrate Mother's day an exquisite painting called "Mother's Affection" by Georgios Iacovides 1853- 1932 from the A.G. Leventis Gallery in Nicosia which has worthy collections of Greek, Cypriot and European art. 

And from further in this divided capital of ours some exquisite doors - always a subject of photographic interest as we strolled in the streets of the old town. 

Keeping the old town alive, restoring the old heritage homes and breathing life into the old city was heartening to see. Long may it continue.

Cyprus continued ...

And just because it is so pretty and I can, here are a few more pics of the lovely area we are in on the northern coast of Cyprus - reading in the sunshine and soaking in the warmth. 

A local house in the next village with a profusion of flower colour. 

On a trail in the mountains above 

Travelling along the hilltop villages and enjoying the views in search of birds and flamingoes. We went to the Salt lake in Limassol and while there were no flamingoes we saw countless bee eaters, swooping on the bees and loving them. Their colours are exquisite which this video does not capture. Ian Bloomer, a great birder kindly agreed to share one of his photos with you. 

Photo by Ian Bloomer - an amazing Birder. 

We did see beautiful orchids!

We then decided to go to Larnaca Salt Lake to see the flamingoes there. We had seen them when we landed on the island. Beautiful evening at Sultan Tekke mosque by the salt lake - but a big disappointment for hubby. One flamingo- must have been a teenager who slept in and all the gang had flown to lake Naivasha in Kenya. I did laugh. One solitary Mingo.  

Disappointment shelved, we wandered into Larnaca and found the stunning St Lazarus square and church. The relics of Saint Lazarus were discovered in 890 - a friend of Christ. Emperor Leo VI moved the relics to Constantinople but a beautiful Byzantine Church was built on the site. He is the Patron saint of beggars and lepers. 

This gargoyle seems happy enough - as we are.